Comedy in Suspense
Cary Grant spoke for many Hollywood actors when he said about the series, Suspense, "If ever I do any more radio work, I want to do it on Suspense, where I get a good chance to act!"
And he wasn't wrong. As well as the terrific scripts, plot twists and the real, genuine suspense which built up through every episode, the castings for each show was sheer genius!
William Spier had a real talent for turning the stereotypical on its head, reversing the obvious, and casting actors who hadn't ever been associated with thrillers or drama. It gave these huge talents a superb opportunity to show what they were made of too.
Some of the best examples of this were when comedy greats were announced in the line-up. As a listener, you would initially find yourself anticipating a pun, a gag, or some kind of line to diffuse the building suspense, but it never comes! I found this made the listening even more intense - but it's not surprising considering these were real solid performances from comedians you would never have expected - like the husband and wife comedy duo of Ozzie and Harriet Nelson in Too Little to Live On.
One of our 'oldest' members of RUSC, Grandpa Chet, recently commented on the original broadcast of Too Little to Live On, comparing it to the rebroadcast of the same story starring Ozzie and Harriet:-
"Compare this to the "rebroadcast" with the recasted version of of December 1947 with Ozzie and Harriet. Casting these two against type makes the story even more horrifying to any listener who remembers any of the Ozzie and Harriet shows. Not counting their years with Red Skelton. It's not better, nor worse - each version evokes a different creepiness. Try each they're each a 5, but a different experience."
Under the later direction of Elliott Lewis, the guest performances by comedians continued, with the most memorable episode being Jim and Marian Jordan - the nation's best loved couple as radio's Fibber McGee and Molly - taking a ride with a killer in Back Seat Driver.
Dime a Dance is arguably one of the best thrillers of the entire series of over 900 shows - yet it stars Lucille Ball, who will of course always be remembered as the crazy, accident-prone, lovable Lucy Ricardo!
I can't help but wonder if they were nervous of performing. What do you think?
There are lots more shows, starring your favorite comedians out of their comfort zone, including Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Red Skelton, Phil Harris and Alice Faye to name just a few, and I've listed these on a special page so that you can add to your playlist with ease.
Happy listening my friends,
